I Took A Top Makeup Artist’s Advice & It Changed Everything

Beauty industry legend, brand founder and CEO, undisputed queen of catwalk makeup… However you refer to Pat McGrath, it’s fair to say that she is one of the most knowledgeable (and totally charming) makeup artists around.

As a fashion week regular, she and her team of experts paint faces for the likes of Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Loewe, while her high-profile celebrity client list boasts Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid and Taylor Swift to name a few. It’s no wonder that her makeup brand, Pat McGrath Labs, is one of the most revered in beauty circles.

In other words, what Pat doesn’t know about achieving seamless makeup (whatever your vibe) isn’t worth knowing. So when I stole a few moments with her at the launch of the new Celestial Nirvana collection, you bet I picked her brains on all things beauty.

Rather embarrassingly, my makeup didn’t look its best that day. It was patchy, cakey and slipping off in most places. But what I learned from Pat in around five minutes of talking to her completely changed my makeup game (and my skin, come to think of it) for the better.

So here’s everything you need to know about achieving professional-looking makeup fast — even if you consider yourself a novice.

01：Always start with a skin essence

Makeup which sits on skin that isn’t adequately hydrated or moisturised is only going to accentuate uneven skin texture and gather around flaky areas, with the possibility of separating and becoming patchy throughout the day. If your moisturiser or primer just isn’t cutting it, Pat’s solution is to add in one simple step: flood your skin with lightweight essence underneath your moisturiser or SPF before applying makeup.

02： Choose a foundation that’s infused with skincare ingredients

Finding a foundation that doesn’t dry up on your skin after a couple of hours is no mean feat. Trust me, I’ve tried hundreds.Common ones include hydrating hyaluronic acid (which may also be referred to as sodium hyaluronate), squalane (an emollient, which helps to lock in moisture), dimethicone (a silicone-based ingredient often found in makeup and moisturiser for a smoothing effect) and glycerin, a moisturising ingredient that contributes to glowing, supple skin.

03：Use your foundation to spot-treat certain areas

Perhaps it is out of the habit, I have all applied the foundation, but recently it makes my face look very flat. The makeup artist agrees to delete your face outline with the foundation of the foundation, and then you may spend money, time and energy to reproduce with bronze or blush. If you pass the full coverage, it will not actually solve it. However, if you want a more natural foundation, we have a better solution.

The trick is to beat the foundation where you want, take a thick foundation brush, such as the soft light base brush of the hourglass environment, and then all transparent. The field of attention will be covered because where you start, but the rest of the face should not be restrained in the product.

04：Apply concealer intuitively

Many times we use concealer to block the flaws we think. But sometimes some people have no change after use. It is recommended to hide it around the nose. The skin there is often a pigment or a little red, and the dark skin tone around the mouth is covered with any discoloration.

A good reminder is to simply use the concealer brush to dip the appropriate amount of paste, and then point to the corresponding place, gently blend the paste and the liquid foundation with the concealer brush gently.

05：Practise strategic powdering

To ensure your makeup lasts longer, Pat told me that she prefers to powder the centre of the face (which includes the T-zone — so your forehead, down your nose and the chin), as well as the area at the sides of the nose (where pores are the most prominent). “You want the rest of your skin to look alive,” said Pat, who isn’t a big fan of applying powder all over the skin — unless you’re somewhere hot.

06：Setting spray is great but skin mists are even better

In order to improve the durability of makeup, please chase the powder with a fixed spray veil. Of course, many people now like to use makeup spray. For example, me, on the one hand, it is very suitable for my oily sensitive skin; on the other hand, it will not make the whole face look particularly unnatural.